(Reuters) – Airbus is conducting the final stage of ground trials as it edges towards the keenly-awaited first flight of its revamped A320neo aircraft, the planemaker said on Tuesday.

The first test aircraft is on the “final run-in” towards its maiden flight, a spokesman said in answer to a query, but added it was too early to predict an exact date.

Airbus is sticking to its target for a first flight in the third quarter, or by the end of September, the spokesman said.

Maiden flights need good weather and are usually announced just a few days before they are expected to happen.

Industry sources have said the flight was tentatively planned in early September, but had to be pushed back because of a problem with engine testing, raising some concerns that the flight could slip to October.

Airbus and its engine maker Pratt & Whitney have declined to comment on the precise schedule, but analysts are paying close attention because the success of the new fuel-saving version of Airbus’s best-selling A320 jet depends in part on new engine technology to fulfil a backlog of 3,000 orders from airlines.

Another person familiar with the matter said preparations had been disrupted by a problem with a bird strike test.

The test, in which bird carcasses are fired at an engine to test its ability to withstand a potentially dangerous bird strike, is one of several key steps towards certification.

Pratt & Whitney declined to comment on the test.

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